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Youngstown, Ohio – Junior tailback Jamaine Cook rushed for 162 yards on 19 carries and scored a career-best four touchdowns to lead the Youngstown State football team past Saint Francis (Pa.), 49-23, on Saturday afternoon at Stambaugh Stadium.

Cook becomes just the ninth player in YSU history to rush for at least four touchdowns in a game. The last player to score four rushing touchdowns was PJ Mays in 2001 against Indiana State.

The Guins, who rushed for 450 yards and scored six rushing touchdowns, improve to 4-3 overall while the Red Flash fall to 1-7 overall.

Sophomore Jordan Thompson rushed for 135 yards on four carries and tied a school record for longest rush with a 95-yard fourth-quarter touchdown. He tied the mark set by Marcus Mason against Western Illinois in 2006

The last time two YSU running backs rushed for more than 100 yards in a game was earlier this season when Adaris Bellamy (180) and Cook (126) each eclipsed the century mark against Valparaiso on Sept. 10.

Sophomore quarterback Kurt Hess completed 11-of-14 passes for 172 yards and touchdown while freshman Christian Bryan caught four passes for 49 yards with a touchdown.

The Guins scored on their first four possessions of the game, including three touchdown rushes by sophomore Jamaine Cook and a 19-yard touchdown pass from Hess to freshman Christian Bryan. Cook, who rushed for 86 yards in the first quarter, scored on runs of 1, 4 and 8 yards.

The Guins took the game's opening kickoff 53 yards in nine plays to take a 7-0 lead at the 11:12 mark of the first quarter. Cook carried six times for 26 yards, including his first touchdown of the game.

After forcing the Red Flash to punt on their first possession, Cook rushed for 60 yards on five carries, including jaunts of 25 and 20 yards, and scored his second touchdown of the game to put the Guins up 14-0 with 6:38 left in the first quarter.

Saint Francis cut the Guins' lead down to 11, 14-3, after a 35-yard field goal by Josh Thiel with 4:40 left in the first.

The Guins responded with their third straight scoring drive capped by Bryan's 19-yard touchdown reception from Hess, who went 3-for-3 for 60 yards on the drive, to go ahead 21-3 with 2:22 left.

Cook scored his third touchdown of the game on the Guins' first possession of the second quarter as they marched 70 yards in 10 plays. Cook, who carried four times for 20 yards, capped the drive with an 8-yard touchdown scamper to give the Guins a 28-3 edgeat the 11:05 mark of the second quarter.

After freshman Tevan Williams recovered a Saint Francis fumble at the Red Flash 35-yard line, sophomore Adaris Bellamy scored from five yards out four plays later to extend the Guins lead to 35-3 with 3:42 to go.

On the next SFU possession, junior safety Sir Aaron Taylor picked off a John Kelly pass and returned it 42 yards to the Saint Francis 32.

After a Bellamy rush for six yards, Cook scored his fourth touchdown of the game to put the Guins ahead 42-3 with 1:05 left before halftime.

The Red Flash scored two third-quarter touchdowns to get within 42-16. They took the opening possession of the second half 75-yards in 11 plays capped by a four-yard touchdown run by Kelly to cut the Penguins lead   42-10 with 9:22 left in the third quarter.

Then Kyle Harbridge scored from five yards out with 1:07 left in the stanza to cap a five-play, 89-yard drive highlighted by a 70-yard pass from Kelly to A.J. Alexander.

Thompson's 95-yard touchdown run put the Penguins ahead 49-16 with 8:55 left. But the Red Flash answered with a 44-yard touchdown pass from Kelly to Alexander for the duos second touchdown connection of the game.

The Guins host MVFC foe Western Illinois in the annual Homecoming/Hall of Fame Game, Saturday, Oct. 29, at 1 p.m. at Stambaugh Stadium.